Victims of nuclear incidents such as nuclear bomb blasts or terrorist attack face a number of morbidity and mortality issues. Gastrointestinal injury is a primary cause of acute death. Our preliminary results indicate that oxidative stress following localized abdominal irradiation (AI) plays a central role in radiation damage, and that antioxidants are effective in protecting and rescuing mice from AI-induced acute death. Since treatment of the irradiated mice with the antioxidant, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), prevented/reversed abscopal suppression of the unirradiated bone marrow stromal cells by AI, we hypothesize that bone marrow preservation/repopulation by NAC is instrumental to the rescue efficacy of NAC. The primary goal of this research is to elucidate the role of bone marrow protection by NAC in a post-radiation rescue of mice exposed to localized abdominal irradiation. The secondary goal is to evaluate the impact of bone marrow protection by NAC on tissue repair following abdominal irradiation. The ultimate goal is to use antioxidant-based mitigation as alternatives to bone marrow transplantation in a post-radiation rescue setting, where bone marrow transplantation is unfeasible. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The primary goal of this research is to elucidate the role of bone marrow protection by the antioxidant, NAC, in a post-radiation rescue of mice exposed to localized abdominal irradiation. The secondary goal is to evaluate the impact of bone marrow protection by NAC on tissue repair following abdominal irradiation. The ultimate goal is to use antioxidant-based mitigation as alternatives to bone marrow transplantation in a post-radiation rescue setting.